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2016 Elio Altare Langhe La Villa

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

October 1, 2023 - $66

Estimate

RATINGS

95Vinous / IWC

Creamy and expansive on the palate... Silky and beautifully perfumed...

92The Wine Advocate

...plump, rich and ripe... The Barbera is what gives the wine its fleshy succulence and freshness, and the Nebbiolo adds the structure and the elegance. The finished product is opulent and dense.

92Wine Spectator

Opulent and oaky, broad and concentrated, offering vanilla, spice and chocolate notes. Balanced and vibrant, with a long, fruit-, spice- and tar-filled aftertaste.

16Jancis Robinson

Mealy oak over ripe bramble fruit and some flinty mineral. Chalky, firm tannins, with spice, some Nebbiolo tar and a mix of red and black fruit. Interesting mix that works pretty well.

REGION

Italy, Piedmont, Langhe

Piedmont’s name means “foot of the mountain” and it aptly describes Piedmont’s location near the Alps, just east of France and south of Switzerland. For admirers of Nebbiolo wines, Piedmont is Italy’s most exalted region, since it is home to Barolo and Barbaresco. Barolo and Barbaresco are names of towns as well as names of the two most prestigious Piedmont DOCGs. Piedmont, with 142,000 vineyard acres, has seven DOCGs and fifty DOCs, the highest number of DOCS in any Italian wine zone. Despite its relatively northern location, its sometimes cool and frequently foggy weather, Piedmont produces mostly red wines. The Nebbiolo grape thrives in this climate and in fact takes its name from the Italian word for fog, “nebbia.” With its rich buttery food, majestic red wines and complicated vineyard system, Piedmont is often thought of as the Burgundy of Italy. As in Burgundy, Piedmont vineyards generally have well-established boundaries, and the vineyards are often divided into smaller parcels owned by several families. Though Nebbiolo is considered the most “noble” Piedmont grape, Barbera is actually the most widely planted grape. Dolcetto is the third most common red grape. White wines in Piedmont are made from Arneis, Cortese, Erbaluce and Moscato. Though Barolo and Barbaresco are the stars of the region, the easy-to-drink, sparkling “spumante” and “frizzante” wines of the Asti DOCG are the most widely produced. There are also Piedmont Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) wines that are often an innovative blend of traditional and non-traditional grapes. This relatively new appellation status was started in 1992 as an attempt to give an official classification to Italy’s newer blends that do fit the strict requirements of DOC and DOCG classifications. IGT wines may use the name of the region and varietal on their label or in their name.